The Beer Nut: A six-pack of pilsners to enjoy this summer

Wednesday

The Beer Nut picks a half-dozen of the top pilsners to enjoy this summer. Jack's Abby Craft Lagers, Aeronaut Brewing Company, Berkshire Brewing Company, Fort Hill Brewing Company, Idle Hands Craft Ales and Medusa Brewing Company all have great thirst-quenching versions for a hot summer day.

There’s nothing better than a good mug of beer on a hot summer day. But there are so many choices out there, what beer should it be?

Of course, the answer is that you drink whatever you darn well please. But there are styles better suited for summertime than others. When it is 90 degrees out, do you really want a 10 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout or a Belgian quad? I know I don’t.

For me, the ultimate summer style is pilsner. Both Czech and German pilsners are excellent for summer – light and crisp and refreshing. Both are similar in style, with Czech pilsners tending to be more spicy. If you follow me on social media, you know I drink a lot of pilsners because lager is life.

Here are my picks for a six-pack of the best pilsners available in Massachusetts, presented in alphabetical order.

Aeronaut Brewing Company’s Robot Crush (5.1 percent ABV)

Like almost all breweries opened in the last five years, Somerville’s Aeronaut Brewing Company is known most for its IPAs. They’re good, but none of them is as good as Robot Crush, which won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Fest in 2016. Fruity hops blend well with hay-like malt flavors to make this a delightful beer to drink.

Berkshire, out in South Deerfield, is one of the granddaddies of Massachusetts breweries, but after two dozen years of brewing, they are still pumping out some excellent beers. Berkshire’s best beers are their lagers, and the Busker Czech Style Pilsner may be the best of them all. It’s slightly spicy, with a light bitterness in the finish.

Fort Hill Brewing Company’s Hera Pils (5.7 percent ABV)

Hera Pils from Easthampton's Fort Hill is probably the most traditional of all the beers on this list. Brewed with Pilsnen malt, Saaz hops and lager yeast, this is a local Czech-style pilsner worth seeking out. It’s also one of the biggest bargains of all of Massachusetts beers – I pick it up for $8 a six-pack and it has close to a permanent spot in my beer fridge.

Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers' Sunny Ridge Pilsner (5.1 percent ABV)

If you asked me last week which of the pilsners from Framingham’s Jack’s Abby I liked more, Post Shift Pilsner or Sunny Ridge, I probably would have leaned toward Post Shift. However, after grabbing a sixer of the recently released Sunny Ridge, my opinion has changed. This is just a fabulous beer. If I were to buy a home draft system, this would be on the short list of beers to be my first beer on tap.

Idle Hands Craft Ales' Adelais (5.1 percent ABV)

Idle Hands has been a revelation since they reopened their taproom in Malden – they excel at making traditional German beers. Adelais is a fantastic take on the style. It’s brewed with German Noble hops, giving it a grassy and fruity flavor. It’s crisp and clean and such an easy-drinking beer you need at least two cans at a sitting because it goes down so easily.

Medusa Brewing Company’s Duchovni (5.5 percent ABV), Hudson

Two MetroWest beers making the list? Just in case anyone thought I was favoring our area breweries, Duchovni, from Hudson's Medusa Brewing Co., has a pedigree that backs up its place on the list. It won a gold medal in its category at the World Beer Cup awards in 2016. It was well-earned. I’ve had it on draft a few times at the Hudson taproom. I just hope now that Medusa is canning beers more often that this will make its way into them so I can bring it home.

Norman Miller is a Daily News staff writer. Email him at nmiller@wickedlocal.com or call 508-626-3823. Check out the Beer Nut blog at http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/section/blogs01?taxid=646&start=2. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @RealBeerNut and on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerBeerNut.